STATEMENT: Public meeting rescheduled for B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

For Release: August 31, 2020

Contact: Mary Lee Knecht, mknecht@usbr.gov
Scott Petersen, scott.petersen@sldmwa.org

Public meeting rescheduled for B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

SACRAMENTO, Calif. –

Due to technical difficulties during the previously scheduled public meeting for the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, the Bureau of Reclamation and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority have rescheduled the public meeting to solicit comments on topics addressed in the Draft EIR/SEIS for:
September 3, 2020, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams, accessible at the following link: http://bit.ly/BFSiskEIRSEISRescheduledPublicMeeting
Given the coronavirus disease pandemic and the associated precautions and procedures being followed throughout California, the public meeting to solicit comments on the Draft EIR/SEIS will continue to be conducted online using Microsoft Teams. This meeting’s format will allow for a project presentation and public participation through the online-chat function.
This joint proposed project would create an additional 130,000 acre-feet of storage space in San Luis Reservoirthat could be used as an additional water supply for two million acres of farmland and 200,000 acres of Pacific Flyway wetlands that use reservoir water.
Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority partnered to investigate adding an additional 10 feet to the crest of B.F. Sisk Dam while implementing safety of dam modifications. The additional space would be used to store water that could be delivered to south-of-Delta water contractors and wildlife refuges. This water would be used to meet existing contractual obligations and not serve any new demands.
The Draft EIR/SEIS may be viewed at https://sldmwa.org/sisk-project/. If you encounter problems accessing documents online, please email pablo.arroyave@sldmwa.org.
Written comments on the environmental document should be received by close of business, September 28, 2020, and sent to Pablo Arroyave, SLDMWA, P.O. Box 2157, Los Banos, CA 93635, or via e-mail to pablo.arroyave@sldmwa.org or to Cassandra Arthur, Bureau of Reclamation, 1140 W. Wood Street Willows, CA 95988, or via e-mail to carthur@usbr.gov.
For additional information, contact Pablo Arroyave at 209-832-6200 or Cassandra Arthur at 530-892-6202 (TTY 1-800-877-8339).

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Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov. and follow us on Twitter @USBR and @ReclamationCVP.

The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority is a joint-powers authority that serves two roles: 1) to provide representation on common interests of the Water Authority’s 28 member agencies; and 2) to operate and maintain the Central Valley Project facilities, including the Jones Pumping Plant, the Delta-Mendota Canal and the O’Neill Pumping Plant, that the Authority’s member agencies depend on for delivery of CVP water. The Authority’s member agencies contract with Reclamation for a portion of their water supply and provide water to approximately 1.2 million acres of irrigated agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley, over 2,000,000 people in the Silicon Valley, and approximately 200,000 acres of managed wetlands of critical importance to the Pacific Flyway.